NZ: Wildfire in Canterbury

Worry over Canterbury blaze

Property owners affected by yesterday's wildfire in Canterbury, which destroyed four homes, were this morning allowed back in to assess the damage.

Stuff,

11 January, 2013

But Incident controller Douglas Marshall of the Selwyn District Council said firefighters were still on high alert today as the hot weather continued.

Two of the three cordons should, however, be lifted in the next hour and while there have been flare ups this morning, the blaze has not reignited.

Marshall warned the warm nor'east winds should create similar conditions to yesterday.

Winds were forecast to pick up tomorrow, bringing warmer and drier winds to the region, MetService forecaster Nicole Ranger said. Christchurch was forecast to reach a high of 25 degrees Celsius today and 28C on Saturday.

Marshall said the cause of the fire remained unknown and investigations were continuing.

Earlier today he said the fire appeared to have started in the Selwyn District Council-owned quarry, which was leased out.

However, Selwyn Quarries managing director Stewart Callaway said the fire did not start in the quarry but in an neighbouring lifestyle block.

"It started on adjoining land and blew down across the quarry . . . all our trees, fencing and a building have all been destroyed by the fire."

Today, 25 Department of Conservation firefighters and fresh volunteer crews would be brought in.

''A lot of volunteers need a breather. We're hoping for a reasonable quiet day. We're in dampening down mode this morning,'' Marshall said.

Those who lost their homes and were at the welfare centre were put in motels last night.

Lincoln Hospitality was catering for firefighters, providing water and food.

WILDFIRE

Fuelled by high temperatures and winds, yesterday's wildfire, between one and two kilometres long at its peak, tore through houses, tree lines, paddocks with livestock and scrub across 150 hectares between Prebbleton and Lincoln.

It was not clear how many people had evacuated as some had done so on their own volition, Selwyn district principal rural fire officer Wilson Brown said.

"Some of them were concerned so evacuated to families and friends, some couldn't go home because of the immediate danger and some didn't because they didn't have power."

Firefighters worked throughout the night to bring the fire under control. It had jumped across Selwyn and Shands roads before fire fighters had control over it, Brown said.

The cause of the blaze was unknown and an investigation would take place, Brown said. "Like all things we keep an open mind."

Late last night another fire broke out in West Melton, west of the city, threatening homes and sparking evacuations on Halkett Rd.

It was also brought under control.

Two helicopters with monsoon buckets and more than 20 fire trucks, from as far afield as Little River and Governor's Bay, fought the fire, which began about 3pm yesterday.

There were no reports of injuries or missing people, but livestock were feared lost.

Deanna and David Hartley, both in their 70s, lost the family home where they raised six children over nearly 40 years.

All they had left were the clothes they were wearing, their car - and a green bucket given to Hartley by a friend. It contained a cucumber, eggs, a few potatoes and a magazine.

The couple have no insurance.

Hartley said they were away from their Shands Rd home when the fire struck.

"On our way home we could see the smoke.

"We got closer to home and there were roadblocks everywhere and we couldn't go anywhere. They wouldn't tell us anything.

"Eventually, after an hour or two, a policeman took me down to have a look. We wanted to see if our house was all right.

"They took me down to see and it was a shock," she said.

"Everything was burnt flat to the ground. Everything on the property. It's all gone. We have nothing left. Nothing left."

The couple's son, Clive Hartley, lives on the family farm. He was at the property when the fire struck.

"I got some garden hoses so I could try and squirt water around.

"You could see the sparks and the flames coming. The hedge was on fire and the woodshed was on fire," he said.

"The flames were right round the house. It was catching on the grass and stuff. It just got so overwhelming I thought there was no use me being there."

He grabbed his brother's dog Turbo and drove through the flames to escape. "There were flames flying around everywhere . . . I just felt calm and I knew God would look after me.

"He didn't do a very good job with the house though."

Staff of a Prebbleton horse trainer put horses into a nearby water walker to avoid the blaze.

Selwyn district mayor Kelvin Coe said the fire's cause was unknown.

"That will probably take a day or two [to determine].

"The full impact on people and their businesses and their livelihoods will be understood in the next 24 hours."

Authorities could not confirm how many properties had been evacuated.

The Shands Rd fire was one of several across Canterbury yesterday as the weather created tinderbox conditions.

A grass fire in Waterloo Rd in Hornby began about 2pm and two tanker crews fought the fire.

At 3.30am, a section of riverbed was damaged by fire in Swannanoa, between Rangiora and Cust.

A grass fire in Waterloo Rd in Hornby began about 2pm and two tanker crews fought the fire.

At 3.30am, a section of riverbed was damaged by fire in Swannanoa, between Rangiora and Cust.